Oban Distillery proclaims itself as one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries, first being licensed around 1794 on the small, coastal fishing village in Oban, Scotland. To this day, this small distillery remains one of Diageo’s most visited distilleries with about 30,000 visitors a year.
What is singular about this malt is its curious and pronounced briny seaside quality, thus the connection to its coastal location. Also, this single malt manages to produce very serviceable flavors from a fermentation that lasts an unusual 4 1/2 days. Fermentations longer than 48 hours move away from the fruity side of things to a more pungent, thick array of aromas. Oban even has a whiff of peat smoke threading its way through the bottle, but not too much. Oban’s flavors are a good introduction to the peaty, heavy side of things, and Oban is certainly a malt to explore if you wish to acclimate to where the big boys play. Let’s see what we thought of it…
SWC Group Review
Nose – Sea side quality. Spice, oak, slightly stale.
Taste – Smooth. Palate is much improved from slow start of nose. Complex, oak. Star of this show.
Finish – Medium, light fruit. Peat upfront but light.
Comment – Palate is great, but nose leaves more to be desired. Complexity here, extra 2 years is positive. Nice features.
SWC Rating- 81/100
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